WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A valuable pedigreed cat that went missing from its New Zealand home turned up two days later a little different — it had been surgically castrated.
Owner Michelle Curtis said she was furious when Buddy, her prized Siamese-Bengal cross, came home "fixed."
Curtis had owned Buddy for almost two years and was considering using him as a stud cat.
"What am I supposed to do now? I can't exactly get someone to sew them back on," she said.
Source
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Authorities have charged a South Carolina woman with felony animal cruelty, saying she hanged her nephew's pit bull from a tree with an electrical cord and burned its body because the dog chewed on her Bible.Animal control officers said Monday that 65-year-old Miriam Smith told them she killed a female dog named Diamond because it was a "devil dog" and she worried it could harm neighborhood children.
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KIEV, Ukraine — Gena, a 14-year-old crocodile at an aquarium in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk, has been refusing food and acting listless after eating a cell phone dropped by a woman as she tried to photograph him.Aquarium workers initially didn't believe Rimma Golovko, a new mother in her 20s, when she complained that the crocodile had swallowed her phone.
“But then the phone started ringing and the sound was coming from inside our Gena's stomach and we understood she wasn't lying,” said Alexandra, an employee.
The mishap has caused problems for the crocodile, which has not eaten or had a bowel movement in four weeks and appears depressed and in pain.
"The animal is not feeling well," said Alexandra. "His behavior has changed, he moves very little and swims much less than he used to."
Source
A wounded fox shot its would be killer in Belarus by pulling the trigger on the hunter's gun as the pair scuffled after the man tried to finish the animal off with the butt of the rifle.Source
Boston resident Sal Esposito recently got called in for jury duty. He might have some problems performing this required task, though, as Sal is a cat.The problem arose after owners Anna and Guy Esposito listed him on the last U.S. Census under "pet."
Anna filed for his disqualification of service. He was not "too old," "ill," or a "convicted felon," so she filed that he "cannot speak English."
The jury commissioner denied this request.
Source
Note: cat in photo is NOT Sal Esposito.
German police have told an employee of a Russian circus group that he can take his tigers for walks as long as the authorities are notified in advance.The 30-year-old man caused a stir in the northern German village of Ratzeburg on Sunday when a woman called police to report a man walking a tiger cub outside of town.
The man, who is from a nearby village, works for a Russian circus group that is now on a break in the Netherlands and was charged with looking after three grown tigers and a cub.
Source
Along the Chicago lakefront, gizzard shad - a type of herring — are dying off in large numbers. Thousands, maybe more, are dead and frozen or floating in Lake Michigan. Geese and ducks are feeding on the dead and dying fish.
Gizzard shad, members of the herring family, are more sensitive to drops in oxygen levels than most fish. And thick ice came early to Chicago harbors in December.
PHOTO: Dale Bowman~For the Sun-Times
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Gizzard shad, members of the herring family, are more sensitive to drops in oxygen levels than most fish. And thick ice came early to Chicago harbors in December.PHOTO: Dale Bowman~For the Sun-Times
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GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. -- A 4-month-old boy had seven of his fingers gnawed off by a pet ferret in Grain Valley.
Police and firefighters responded to a home in the 200 block of Young Street Monday morning after an animal bite call. Grain Valley police Chief Aaron Ambrose said it was much worse.
Video: Ferret Bites Off Fingers Of Infant
"Upon further investigating, they learned that the infant's fingers had been taken off by the family's pet ferret," Ambrose said.
The police report said the boy was in a rocker when his parents fell asleep, one parent in the bedroom, the other in the same room the bites occurred. The ferret bit off all but the boy's two thumbs and one pinky, the report said.
Source
Police and firefighters responded to a home in the 200 block of Young Street Monday morning after an animal bite call. Grain Valley police Chief Aaron Ambrose said it was much worse.
Video: Ferret Bites Off Fingers Of Infant
"Upon further investigating, they learned that the infant's fingers had been taken off by the family's pet ferret," Ambrose said.
The police report said the boy was in a rocker when his parents fell asleep, one parent in the bedroom, the other in the same room the bites occurred. The ferret bit off all but the boy's two thumbs and one pinky, the report said.
Source
POWELL, Ohio -- An Ohio zoo is trying to round up runaway prairie dogs and is asking its neighbors for help.The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium said Friday 11 of the critters wriggled their way out of temporary quarters and so far only four have been recovered.
Assistant Curator Jeremy Carpenter says in a statement there's no reason to believe the animals have left zoo property. But he says nearby residents are being asked to watch for prairie dogs, just in case.
Source
At a zoo in western Germany, a baby African Penguin decided to go on a little stroll through a lion's den. As reported by Der Spiegel, the tiny bird escaped its habitat and started waddling through the lion enclosure. Fortunately, the lions were asleep. Zookeepers guided the penguin to safety using a trail of herrings. The zoo doesn't usually name its penguins, but apparently bonded with this one, since they started calling it Leona.Source
Photo: Allwetterzoo Münster
LAKELAND, Fla. -- A reindeer escaped from a nativity scene in Lakeland, but was later caught hiding under an elf house, police said Tuesday.
While the story sounds like a Christmas tale, police say it's true. A caller to police early Tuesday morning said the reindeer had escaped from the nativity scene at Highland Park Church of the Nazarene on Lake Highlands Road.
Church personnel responded to the area where the reindeer, appropriately named Rudy (short for Rudolph, of course), was seen running loose. They chased the deer around the property before finding Rudy hiding under the "elf house," police said.
Rudy, who was unharmed, is now in the care of his owner and being kept at his house to prevent another escape from his enclosure on the church property. Police said Rudy is small in stature and, while he looks like a baby deer, he is actually 3 years old.
Source
While the story sounds like a Christmas tale, police say it's true. A caller to police early Tuesday morning said the reindeer had escaped from the nativity scene at Highland Park Church of the Nazarene on Lake Highlands Road.
Church personnel responded to the area where the reindeer, appropriately named Rudy (short for Rudolph, of course), was seen running loose. They chased the deer around the property before finding Rudy hiding under the "elf house," police said.
Rudy, who was unharmed, is now in the care of his owner and being kept at his house to prevent another escape from his enclosure on the church property. Police said Rudy is small in stature and, while he looks like a baby deer, he is actually 3 years old.
Source
A California couple returning from a trip to the grocery store Thursday found a 9-foot boa constrictor under the hood of their car.
Animal control workers used a little cooking oil to loosen the red tail boa's grip on the car engine.
It's not clear where the snake came from. But animal control workers said they suspect it broke free from its owner's care.
Source
Animal control workers used a little cooking oil to loosen the red tail boa's grip on the car engine.
It's not clear where the snake came from. But animal control workers said they suspect it broke free from its owner's care.
Source
A polar bear attacked a woman at Berlin Zoo Friday afternoon after she climbed a fence and jumped into its habitat during feeding time.The woman was severely injured and was being treated at a hospital. It's unclear why the woman entered the bear habitat, but police issued her a citation for trespassing.
Source
(via Blame it on the Voices)
Employees of a Pennsylvania pet store expecting a shipment of tropical fish and salt water received a man's dead body instead.
Mark Arabia owns the Pets Plus store in northeast Philadelphia, where the mix-up was discovered Tuesday. He said he learned the body was that of a 65-year-old San Diego-area man who died of early onset Alzheimer's disease.
The deceased man's wife said she was shocked initially, but found the former mailman's posthumous postal mix-up funny.
The body was supposed to go to a research laboratory in Allentown, 70 miles away.
The fish were left at the airport and probably died.
Source
Mark Arabia owns the Pets Plus store in northeast Philadelphia, where the mix-up was discovered Tuesday. He said he learned the body was that of a 65-year-old San Diego-area man who died of early onset Alzheimer's disease.
The deceased man's wife said she was shocked initially, but found the former mailman's posthumous postal mix-up funny.
The body was supposed to go to a research laboratory in Allentown, 70 miles away.
The fish were left at the airport and probably died.
Source
An Australian traveller raised eyebrows and the suspicions of customs officers after he was found with two live pigeons and an aubergine down his pants. (NOTE to us non-Brits: an aubergine is an eggplant.)
Customs officials said the 23-year-old man was caught at Melbourne Airport following a trip to the Middle East.
Officials searched the man after they discovered two eggs hidden in a vitamin container in his luggage.
The pigeons were found wrapped in padded envelopes and held to each of the man's legs with a pair of tights.
Officials also seized seeds in his money belt and an undeclared aubergine, but are at a loss to explain why the goods were smuggled into the country.
Customs officials said the 23-year-old man was caught at Melbourne Airport following a trip to the Middle East.
Officials searched the man after they discovered two eggs hidden in a vitamin container in his luggage.
The pigeons were found wrapped in padded envelopes and held to each of the man's legs with a pair of tights.Officials also seized seeds in his money belt and an undeclared aubergine, but are at a loss to explain why the goods were smuggled into the country.
Investigators are trying to determine the origin of a heart that was found Monday on the floor of a car wash in Paw Paw, Mich.
"The heart was transported by the officer to a local animal clinic, and the officer was advised the doctor could not determine if the heart was an animal's heart nor rule out it possibly being a human heart," WOOD-TV reports. "The cardiologist can not rule out at this time the possibility that the heart may be a human heart."
Scientists are now said to be studying the organ.
Source: USA Today
"The heart was transported by the officer to a local animal clinic, and the officer was advised the doctor could not determine if the heart was an animal's heart nor rule out it possibly being a human heart," WOOD-TV reports. "The cardiologist can not rule out at this time the possibility that the heart may be a human heart."
Scientists are now said to be studying the organ.
Source: USA Today
A truck carrying nearly 100 pigs overturned on Interstate 94 near Interstate 494 in Minnesota Thursday morning causing traffic to be snarled.State Patrol Lieutenant Jeff Gladfelter says that not all of the pigs stayed with the flipped tracter-trailer. "There was about 15 of them that got loose." Gladfelter says 7 troopers and some MnDot workers were able to corral most of the pigs in a makeshift pen on the side of the highway.
Source: kare11
A college student in southern China was bitten by a panda after he broke into the bear's enclosure hoping to get a hug.
The student was visiting Qixing Park with classmates on Friday when he jumped the 6.5-foot (2-meter) high fence around the panda's habitat, said the park employee, who refused to give his name.
The park in Guilin, a popular tourist town in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, houses a small zoo and a panda exhibit. It was virtually deserted when the student scaled the fence surrounding the panda, named Yang Yang, the employee said.
He said the student was bitten on the arms and legs. Two foreign visitors who saw the attack ran to get help from workers at a nearby refreshment stand, who notified park officials, the employee said.
"Yang Yang was so cute, and I just wanted to cuddle him. I didn't expect he would attack," the 20-year-old student, surnamed Liu, said in a local hospital, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Source: CNN
The student was visiting Qixing Park with classmates on Friday when he jumped the 6.5-foot (2-meter) high fence around the panda's habitat, said the park employee, who refused to give his name.
The park in Guilin, a popular tourist town in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, houses a small zoo and a panda exhibit. It was virtually deserted when the student scaled the fence surrounding the panda, named Yang Yang, the employee said.
He said the student was bitten on the arms and legs. Two foreign visitors who saw the attack ran to get help from workers at a nearby refreshment stand, who notified park officials, the employee said.
"Yang Yang was so cute, and I just wanted to cuddle him. I didn't expect he would attack," the 20-year-old student, surnamed Liu, said in a local hospital, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
Source: CNN
A cleaner at the Singapore Zoo who jumped into the white tiger enclosure yesterday was killed by the animals as a horrified crowd looked on helplessly.
Malaysian Nordin Montong, 32, was set upon by two of the three big cats in the enclosure at around noon.
His colleagues later told zoo staff that the contract worker, who had been working at the zoo for about 41/2 months, had been behaving strangely minutes before the incident.
Source: Straits Times
Malaysian Nordin Montong, 32, was set upon by two of the three big cats in the enclosure at around noon.
His colleagues later told zoo staff that the contract worker, who had been working at the zoo for about 41/2 months, had been behaving strangely minutes before the incident.
Source: Straits Times
Doctors in Arizona thought a Phoenix-area woman had a possible brain tumor, but it turned out there was something else penetrating her brain – a worm.
Doctors removed the worm and don't believe Alvarez will have any lingering health problems. No one knows exactly where she picked up the worm –- doctors said worms can come from eating undercooked pork or spread by people who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, according to the report.
Source: Fox News
Doctors removed the worm and don't believe Alvarez will have any lingering health problems. No one knows exactly where she picked up the worm –- doctors said worms can come from eating undercooked pork or spread by people who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, according to the report.
Source: Fox News